


Bound and Determined

by bellatemple



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Dark Nathan, Dark Trouble, Human bodies as art, M/M, Non-Consensual Bondage, Not Safe Not Sane Not Consensual, Objectification, Shibari-ish, no seriously this is not how any of this is done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:08:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22500718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellatemple/pseuds/bellatemple
Summary: Nathan's been hit by a dangerous new trouble, but Duke's the one taking the brunt of it.
Relationships: Duke Crocker/Nathan Wuornos
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	Bound and Determined

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure if this is quite EXPLICIT, but when in doubt, go for the higher rating. 
> 
> There . . . might be a part two to this. If people are into it. We'll see!

Duke's arms hurt. He couldn't put them down. 

"Nate," he tried again. "Hey. Listen, okay? You've been hit by some kind of trouble." He tugged against the ropes holding him up. "Some kinky, over-the-top metaphor trouble." 

Nathan didn't look at him. Hardly seemed to hear him at all. He just tilted his head, running the next coil of rope through his fingers, then stepped into the closet with Duke. 

*

Nathan was an artist. It wasn't something he advertised. He didn't draw or paint or write or cook, but he knew color and he knew light. He knew how to combine elements and mediums into a cohesive, beautiful whole. 

Duke was going to be beautiful. 

*

"That's —" Duke swallowed, trying to puff out his chest as far as possible as Nathan wound the soft, silken rope around and around his ribs. "That's kind of — tight — buddy. Gonna let me breathe, right?" 

Nathan's expression was focused and empty, even for Nathan. He stepped back, running a critical eye over Duke's chest, then brought the next coil of rope up to loop around the back of Duke's neck. 

*

The arms weren't ideal, but he'd needed to keep Duke from struggling and ruining the work. Nathan had stretched them up and wide, careful to keep the weight evenly distributed. Symmetrical. The black rope made a sharp contrast to Duke's tanned skin, wrapped firm around his wrists, then braided down Duke's arms like they were maypoles until they reached his shoulders. The ropes at Duke's chest and neck were white, wrapped several times just around the base of his ribs, dividing his pectorals from his abdomen. The muscles there weren't very clearly defined yet, but Nathan could work on that. The rope was tied in a complex knot on the sternum, then brought up around the back of the neck. Nathan knotted a shorter length around Duke's ponytail and pulled back, baring Duke's lovely throat. Duke gasped and fell finally silent, quivering gently as Nathan secured the hair rope to the neck rope, immobilizing Duke's head. 

The silence didn't last. Duke began chattering again almost immediately, mindless nonsense prattle. Nathan would have to find a way to shut him up without ruining the quality of the work. 

Well. He'd work it out soon enough. He could take his time. 

*

Duke's neck started to ache almost immediately, adding to the loud complaints already coming from his arms. He stared up at the ceiling of Nathan's walk-in closet — he couldn't see anything else — and wondered if Audrey would manage to find them before Nathan broke him completely. 

She had to know something was wrong. This was Nathan, and she was Audrey. 

"Nate," he said. "Nate, Nate, Nathan. Nate. Buddy, come on. Just — just call Audrey, alright? Just talk to her. You'll feel better — _Nate_." 

Nathans' hands were on Duke's jeans now, unfastening his button, opening the fly, dragging them down his legs. Duke had gone commando, of course, he nearly always did unless his current partner said they preferred him not to. Nathan seemed uninterested in Duke's dick, though. 

He hadn't always been. 

Duke tried to lose himself in memories of the other times Nathan had stripped him, but was immediately distracted by the cool slide of more rope against his thighs. 

*

Black rope again for the legs. The same crisscross as the arms up either thigh, then wrapped up over the hips to frame the buttocks. 

Nathan had fond memories of those buttocks. High and tight or relaxed and open, always inviting. He threaded the black rope up under the white between the shoulder blades, then twisted the ends together into a long tail that he brought back down to nestle between the ass cheeks. Duke squawked and tried to buck away, but he had nowhere to go. Nathan passed the tail between his legs, untwisting it to frame the genitals, then brought the ends up to wind into the sternum knot. Duke whimpered as Nathan pulled it tight. 

The penis started to fill. Good. 

*

God help him, Duke loved assplay. Loved it enough that he got a chub from the way the smooth rope rubbed over his taint, his hole, even in light of the pain in his arms and neck. 

Once upon a time, Nathan had known that. Had enjoyed it. 

"Is that what you want?" Duke asked, straining his eyes to try to catch Nathan's gaze. "To relive old times? Hell, buddy, all you had to do was ask, you know I'm always up for — nmf!" 

Nathan shoved at the backs of Duke's knees, simultaneously giving slack to the ropes on his arms, sending Duke into a kneeling position. He tied the arm ropes tight again, or locked a winch, or — something — Duke couldn't tell. He tried pulling on the ropes, hoping to get leverage to climb back to his feet, but Nathan's hands were already on his ankles, wrapping rope tight around them and drawing them up into the air, until Duke was forced to lean forward, balancing precariously on his kneecaps and leaning too much of his weight into his shoulders. Nathan fastened that rope too, somewhere behind Duke, then circled him, staring down at him critically. 

"Nate," Duke tried one more time, his breath coming fast and shallow against the painful position. "Please." 

*

Duke's body curved like a bow, taut and fine and faintly glistening as he broke into a sweat. Nathan smiled. He reached out to adjust the way the ropes lay against Duke's neck, then stepped back. 

Duke whined, eyes wide and pathetic. That wouldn't do. This piece was about power, finely controlled and balanced on the edge of release. If Duke's expression couldn't reflect that, perhaps it'd be better with no expression at all. 

The rope was thin, but strong. Nathan measured out two relatively short lengths of white. The first he knotted in the middle and placed in Duke's mouth. Duke let out a startled noise and tried to bite Nathan's fingers, but Nathan couldn't feel it, so he didn't stop. He pulled the rope backwards hard until Duke's protests cut off with a choking noise, then tied it into the rope in Duke's hair. Duke's nostrils flared, his eyes going somehow even wider as Nathan picked up the next length. He shut them tight, though, when Nathan wrapped the rope around his head and knotted it into his hair as well. Two bold white lines divided Duke's face now, making his already prominent nose stand out even more. It wasn't exactly what Nathan imagined, but art never was. The trick was to find beauty in imperfection, in adaptation. 

"Almost done," he said, voice soft. Duke's body shivered in its bindings. 

*

Duke's arms had gone numb. His knees alternated between angry spikes of pain and deep, penetrating throbs. He couldn't move. He knew the rope on his eyes was too narrow to be a true blindfold, but it pressed too firmly across his eyelids for him to try to open them. His neck ached. His scalp stung. His stubborn, traitorous dick continued to sail half-mast. 

He heard the door open and close. Rattling in the other room. The door again, and the crack of a can being opened. 

Something warm and sticky was smeared onto his chest. A sharp, chemical tang hit his nose. It reminded him of the sealant he used on the _Rouge_ to keep her water-tight. 

Nathan was _shellacking_ him. 

Duke protested as best he could. He moaned through the gag and tried to flinch away. Nathan just kept brushing more of the stuff on, until Duke felt sick and dizzy from the fumes. The shellac dried quickly, pulling at his skin and leaving him feeling stiff and itchy. The process seemed to go on for years. Duke began to see things against his bound eyelids, spectacular bursts of color overlaid with twisted, sneering faces. He shook as Nathan painted his way up Duke's neck, over his chin, and through his beard. Nathan paid special attention to where the ropes met his skin, gluing them firmly in place. He coated every inch of Duke, save where his knees pressed into the floor — or where the ropes framed his groin. 

Nathan's hand on Duke's dick was warm and slick, and despite the pain and terror and smothering fumes, he had Duke fully erect with a few strong strokes. He'd always been especially good at that. 

Then he shellacked that as well. 

*

Nathan stood and wiped his forehead. Duke no longer glistened, he _shone_ with a high gloss gleam. Nathan adjusted his spotlights to highlight the best angle, then spent a long time simply looking at his work. It was beyond a doubt the best work he'd ever done, powerful and erotic, and by its very nature transitory. Nathan basked in his accomplishment, then got out his camera to properly capture his work. That done, he took another few minutes to work himself to a purely mechanical climax. Mentally, emotionally, he'd already cum multiple times. 

Then he started cleaning up. An artist had to treat his tools with utmost care and respect, after all, to ensure their longevity. 

*

Duke came to in the tub. Nathan cooed soft, worldless reassurances as he ran a sponge gently, so gently, over Duke's clogged, irritated skin. 

"Nathan," Duke said, his voice raw and breathless. "Nate. Are — are you —" He couldn't finish his question, couldn't dare to hope that Nathan was _himself_ again. 

Couldn't handle it if it turned out this strange, silent, cruel creature was already Nathan as _himself_. 

Nathan dipped his sponge into the soapy water and carefully washed between Duke's toes. "I called Audrey." 

Duke melted back into the tub. "Oh god. Thank you." 

Nathan smiled, never quite looking at Duke directly. "You were right," he said. "My next piece will be so much better with two."


End file.
